....Frequently asked questions..FOIRES AUX QUESTIONS....

Please feel free to communicate with us directly at: 1 (855)-933-1555 or at hello@theunscentedcompany.com if you have any concerns or feedback regarding our ingredients or products.

We chose the INCI (International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients) nomenclature on our labels and website so you know exactly what goes in our products and in what order. We do our very best to provide transparent information to the best of our knowledge regarding our ingredients.

Are The Unscented Company products tested on animals or do they contain animal derived ingredients?

No, none of our products have ever been tested on animals nor will they ever be.

The Unscented Company is a certified Leaping Bunny company to ensure that no new animal testing is used in any phase of product development by The Unscented Company, its laboratories, or suppliers.

How much time before The Unscented Company products biodegrade?

All The Unscented Company products are biodegradable within 28 days as per the internationally recognized OECD 301 standard. The OECD standard stipulates that 60% of the product must biodegrade completely within 28 days in order to be defined as biodegradable. The Unscented Company products are all formulated to biodegrade at least 80% within 28 days.

Biodegradability can be defined as the ability of a substance to break down into its elementary parts through a normal exposure to elements such as sunlight, water, and microorganisms. In principle, this means that all of our products and their carbon containing ingredients will decompose into simple non-toxic substances in 28 days or less according to the OECD standard. Biodegradation also means that our ingredients do not accumulate in the environment and are not harmful to aquatic life.

Why do The Unscented Company products contain preservatives?

Any water-based product is susceptible to contamination by mold and bacteria. Without an effective preservative the useful life of a product is dramatically reduced and can easily become unstable and unsafe for use. The role of a preservative is to maintain product quality and effectiveness throughout its useful life.

For us, the preservation of our products is critical because of our responsibility towards public health. We want our customers to enjoy our products without concern of microbial contamination. We believe the benefits of an effective preservative far outweigh the negatives of a possible irritant/allergenic preservative.

Our current preservative system is a blend of Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin and Tocopherol in our dish soap and hand soap. For our all purpose cleaner we use Benzisothiazolinone.

We are always on the lookout for a natural preservative that is safe and effective for our formulas. However, we have not yet found one that satisfies our quality, safety, and environmental standards. In the meantime, we are using a synthetic preservative system that meets our human safety and environmental standards as it is biodegradable. The effectiveness of this system allows us to use it in our products in very minimal quantities (part-per-million levels) at which point they are considered safe for use.

We take the safety of our products very seriously and have deliberately chosen Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin and Tocopherol, as well as Benzisothiazolinone to avoid all parabens and formaldehyde releasing preservatives (possible carcinogens and endocrine disruptors).

Which The Unscented Company products do not contain preservatives?

The Unscented Company Laundry DetergentThe Unscented Company Dishwasher TabletsThe Unscented Company Soap Bar

Is your Laundry Detergent hypoallergenic?

Yes, our Laundry Detergent is hypoallergenic, tested by a third party under dermatologist control.

Why are your products phosphate free?

All Unscented Company products are phosphate free.

Phosphates are minerals that were commonly used in the 60s and 70s in dish and laundry detergents to soften water and enhance cleaning power. Phosphates pose a high environmental concern because they enter the water system via detergents (and other sources) and act as fertilizers to cause disproportionate aquatic plant growth or algal blooms.

In Canada, since 2010 the use of phosphates has been limited to 0.5% in household cleaners, laundry and dish detergents and to 2.2% in commercial and industrial laundry detergents.

Effective, safe and environmentally preferable alternatives are currently available in the market allowing us to have a complete line of phosphate free products.

Do you use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) as an ingredient in your products?

Our Dish Soap, Hand Soap, Laundry Detergent, and All Purpose have been formulated with Sodium Laureth Sulphate which is a plant-based surfactant (cleaning agent) derived from coconut oil or palm kernel oil.

Our Sodium Laureth Sulphate is made in the U.S.A and is considered to be of the highest quality in the market due to the advanced manufacturing and vacuum stripping method developed by our supplier. We chose to formulate our products with Sodium Laureth Sulphate because of its superior environmental profile (readily biodegradable), human profile (soft for the skin and much less irritant than SLS) and superior cleaning performance.

Are The Unscented Company products antibacterial?

No, The Unscented Company products are not antibacterial. Throughout the years, many studies have portrayed that a proper hand washing technique with regular hand soap removes an equivalent number of bacteria from hands than does an antibacterial soap.

The decision to formulate non-antibacterial soap also allows us to have a shorter list of ingredients in our hand soap. The main active ingredient for an antibacterial soap is Triclosan which has been placed on Health Canada’s ingredient hotlist, and is on the verge of being banned in the USA.